1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and, more particularly, to applications configured to be displayed on sliding panels in a GUI.
2. Background Art
In computer systems, a GUI is used to present information to a user. In a personal computer environment, analogies are made between the items in a GUI and a person""s desk. For example, the initial screen that is displayed when a computer system is booted is typically referred to as a desktop. The desktop can consist of windows that overlap, folders, documents, a trash can, etc. As with a person""s desk, a computer system""s desktop can easily become cluttered making it difficult to find something located on the desktop.
Items such as an executable software program or a file can be represented on the desktop as icons. The user can initiate the software program by clicking (e.g., double or single click) on the icon using a mouse button. When a software program is initiated, an application window is opened that is used to display output and enter input associated with the application. The application window overlays the information already being displayed on the desktop. Such information may include icons displayed on the desktop or another application""s window.
A GUI element such as an icon, window, or desktop can be activated or deactivated. When an element is selected by a single click of the mouse button, it becomes active. An activated element can be deactivated by selecting another element. To select an element, the element must be visible on the desktop. If it is covered by another element, it is impossible for the user to select the element. The element must first be found before it can be activated. This involves rearranging the items on the desktop to uncover the desired element.
Various techniques have been developed to make an element accessible. For example, in a process referred to as minimization, the size of a window can be reduced. A window can be minimized to the point that it is represented as an icon on the desktop, for example. A window can also be removed by closing it. Further, an element can be rearranged on the desktop. Windows can be dragged from one location on the desktop to another, for example. The shuffling or resizing of elements on the desktop is time consuming. It can also be frustrating to the user particularly when the user needs to access to the element frequently or quickly.
Menus (such pop-up or pull-down menus) have also been used to make elements more accessible. The user clicks on a menu icon which causes the menu to be displayed. The user can click on an item in the menu to select the item. These menus are pre-configured and their entries act as a pointers to such things as applications, folders or documents. In the Macintosh operating system, an apple icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen represents a menu that contains pointers to elements. To add an entry in the apple menu display, the user adds the element to an xe2x80x9cApple Menu Itemsxe2x80x9d folder in the system""s folder.
Another type of menu that is used in Windows 95 is a taskbar that exists at the bottom edge of the Windows 95 screen or desktop. The taskbar contains icons that represent open applications. To start an application, the user types in the location of the application in the system""s file system, or the user selects an entry in a hierarchical menu structure (i.e., the location of the application associated with the entry has already been defined). When the application is invoked, an application window is opened on the desktop. When the application""s window is minimized, an icon that represents the application remains in the taskbar. To activate the application, the user moves the cursor that is displayed on the desktop (using the mouse) to the taskbar. An option that exists in Windows 95 allows the user to hide the taskbar or remove it from sight until it is needed. The taskbar appears as a thin gray line at the bottom of the display, if this option is chosen.
The menus including the Apple menu used in the Macintosh operating system and the Windows 95 taskbar have a unitary function. In the case of the Apple menu, the menu holds pointers to an element stored in the operating system""s file system. The Windows 95 taskbar holds pointers to suspended applications. It is impossible, for example, to configure the menus to run an application on the menu. In the prior art, a menu has a unitary function that is hardwired and cannot be configured by a user.
Further, in the prior art, a menu does not manage the element on a desktop to reduce the clutter. It is still necessary for a user to manage the elements on the desktop by, for example, minimizing, maximizing or otherwise hiding windows and rearranging desktop elements.
In one embodiment of the invention, the user configures panels on a computer system""s GUI. The user""s configuration is used to generate and manage the computer system""s GUI.
In one embodiment of the invention, an application or information is placed on a sliding panel attached to an edge of the GUI. The sliding panel can be displayed in a closed representation such as a thin column along an edge of the GUI. When the mouse pointer (e.g., cursor) touches the configured edge, the panel slides into view thereby allowing the user to see the information and interact with the application configured for the panel. The panel automatically closes when the mouse pointer moves outside the panel. Multiple panels can be attached to each edge of the display. There is no need for the user to click on the sliding panel""s GUI representation to either open or close it. The sliding panel""s GUI representation is determined based on the position of the user""s cursor. There is no need for the user to consciously manage the elements in the GUI. The elements are managed based on the configuration information supplied by the user.
A configuration user interface (UI) of a selector module is used to configure a sliding panel. The user can select an edge on which a panel exists or a new panel is to be defined. If multiple panels are configured on an edge, the user can select the desired panel. The user selects properties for the sliding panel such as the application that runs on the sliding panel, the panel""s background color, and the criteria for opening and closing the panel. A panel""s configuration is saved in, for example, a configuration file. The selector module accesses a panel""s configuration file to display the sliding panel in the computer system""s GUI.